Community Foundation Donates $10,784
St. Ignace Area Schools Receive Large Portion of Grants
By Paul Gingras

The St. Ignace Community Foundation will boost community projects by $10,784, it announced at its awards ceremony at St. Ignace Public Library Wednesday, November 28. The foundation will provide money for school projects, charities, the ambulance service, the library, the chamber of commerce, and scholarships for two hockey players.

LaSalle High School received the largest donation, $2,000, to purchase graphing calculators.

Eighth-grade science, algebra, and alternative education teacher Andrew Long of LaSalle accepted the award on behalf of the school. The math department plans to spend the entire grant on 20 new calculators, which are available to educators for about $98 each, and the department is pursuing funding sources for more calculators, Mr. Long told The St. Ignace News.

Mr. Long noted that the graphing calculators are a critical component in the education of this year's eighth-grade and ninth-grade students, the first group to be taught under the new state mathematics requirements. The devices are able to plot graphs, solve several equations at once, and plot variables.

"The school went through last summer and bought new textbooks, and they really rely on the use of these graphing calculators," Mr. Lang said of the students. "The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics really pushed graphing technology in the schools. For our nearly 300 students, we had about 26 calculators."

St. Ignace Area Hope received $1,650 for clothing racks and office equipment.

A collaboration of six faithbased organizations, Project Hope provides services for community members in need, raising funds through its Hope Chest resale store on Ferry Street.

"It is going to be exciting to be there during the next year," said Pastor Dan Williams of the Assembly of God Church, who accepted the award on behalf of Project Hope.

"Our group is reaching out to the poor in our community," he said.

"We are there for emergency crisis needs, and we also provide a valuable service of secondhand clothing, so that parents without a lot of money can clothe their kids."

The grant will help enhance the group's projects, Pastor Williams said, which include renovations to its building.

St. Ignace Public Library received $1,888 for two display cases. Librarian Cindy Patten accepted the award and told foundation members, "The next time you come for your event, you will have full display cases."

While it is undecided what will be displayed there, "we wanted to have something available for people with collections that we could use to keep them safe," she said. "We are open for ideas."

Legacy House received $996 to replace doors and windows. The project is designed to provide a safe place to live for women transitioning into better lives. Pastor Williams said the refurbished house in St. Ignace will be open soon and will have six residents.

St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce received $750 toward a new sign at its office. Chamber Director Janet Peterson noted that the old sign is out of date, unappealing, and hard to read.

"We are working toward having a new sign by next summer season that will represent our community well," she said.

St. Ignace Allied Emergency Medical Services, Inc. received $750 to upgrade cardiac monitors in ambulances. Fred Feleppa, who is an emergency medical technician specialist for Allied, as well as the county prosecutor, said the grant is the first portion of a $50,000 fundraising project.

"The cardiac monitors we have now, called Life Pack 10, are probably 20 years old or so," Mr. Feleppa said.

"It is getting tougher and tougher to find parts for the old monitors," he said, and cardiac technology has improved over time.

Mr. Feleppa acknowledged that the donation is the second Community Foundation grant for Allied. The first provided lightweight air tanks that saved the ambulance service money and made emergency workers' jobs easier and safer, he said.

St. Ignace Middle School received $750 to purchase new books for its library. Mike Springsteen, superintendent of St. Ignace Area Schools, said the school has not specified which books it will purchase. The donation is greatly appreciated to help stock the library, he added.

LaSalle High School received $500 for its Just Desserts program. Each year, about 100 students are honored for making the honor roll three semesters in a row. The students and their families are treated to a ceremony involving entertainment and a banquet, and the students receive academic achievement medals for their efforts. The grant will help offset the costs of the medals, said LaSalle Principal Don Gustafson. Last year, about 90 students received medals.

St. Ignace Area Schools Music Department received $1,000 for a new set of choir risers. Music teacher Stephanie Terpening accepted the donation on behalf of the department. The risers are portable stairs that students stand on while singing, and the donation will help pay for one set, which should be in place before the December 13 elementary school Christmas concert.

The new risers will be safer, owing to railings on the back and sides, which were lacking on older risers.

"Over the next six years, all of the kids in the school will have used them at least once, and many use them every year for six or seven years," she said of the equipment.

The Chipper Huskey Memorial Fund received $450 to be split into two $225 scholarships for youth hockey players Jack Styes and Toby Ferguson. The scholarship pays half the athletes' costs to participate in the St. Ignace Hockey Association.

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Youth Education and Activities Program received $750 to bring in United States paralympian Joe Tompkins to speak to students.

The St. Ignace Community Foundation Awards ceremony was the 23rd of its kind. The Foundation began in 1995 and uses interest earned on endowed funds to make its grants. To date, it has provided $196,000 in grants and scholarships to the community.

The St. Ignace Community Foundation has $784,000 in endowed funds, the income from which is used for the grants.

A special community foundation tax credit is offered in Michigan. Information about it is available from the foundation or at www.michiganfoundations.org.